Chuck-operating means



New. 118, 1924.,

J. J. THACHER CHUCK OPERATING MEANS Patented Nov. 18, 1924.

JOHN T.- THACHERi, OF WETHERSFIELD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO PRATT &WHIT- NEY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.-, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CHUCK-OPERATING MEANS.

Application filed April 18, 1922. Serial No. 554,720.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN J. THAcHan, a citizen of the United States.residing at Wethersfield, in the county of Hartford and 5 State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Chuck-Operating Means, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a Work holding l and rotating chuck and inparticular to a chuck adapted for use in connection with an automaticlathe.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved form ofchuck operating means to facilitate opening and closing of the jaws ofthe chuck during continuous automatic operation ofthelathe. One featurewhich'enablcs me to accomplish the above object is that I provide anoperating rod, movement of which operates brake bands or shoes surrunding a cylindrical part of the chuck so that the chuck may befrictionally engaged by these bands without causing a sudden shock orimpact 755 on the arts of the chuck.

Anot er feature which is advantageous is that I operate these bands by asingle rectilinear movement of the operating rod. Movement in onedirection servesto posi- Bfl tively disengage the hands from therotating chuck and movement 'of the rod in the oposite direction, whichmay be accomplished y means of a spring, permits the brakebands tofrictionally engage a rotating part of the chuck.

Another object of the present invention is to improve the means foropening the jaws of the work rotating chuck disclosed in my 1specification being relied upon for that purpose.

In the drawin Figure 1 is a fiagmcntary view of an automatic latheshowing the chuck in operative position thereon. Fig. 2 is an enlargedview of the work supporting and rotating chuck and its op erating means,parts being shown in section to more clearly disclose the-construction.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line a a of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail plan View of the forward end of the operating rod forthe chuck and a part cooperating therewith.

Fig. 5 is another view of the forward end of the huck operating rod.

In the above mentioneddrawing, I have shown but one modification of theinvention which is now deemed preferable but it" is to be understoodthat changes and modifications may be made within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Briefly, my invention in its broadest aspect comprises: first, a chuckreferably of the type shown in my above referred to patent; second, africtionally engaged brake shoe or band surrounding a cylindricalportion of the chuck and adapted to be res. iently moved into engagementwith its surface and positively moved away therefrom;

and third, an operating rod for moving said brake "bands into and out ofcontact with the chuck.

Referring more in detail to the figures of the drawing at 10 1 show anautomatic lathe of the general t pe disclosed in the patent granted toMiil er January 8th, 1918, No. 1,252,928. Parts only of the automaticlathe are indicated in the present. drawing.

Mounted in the headstock 11 of this lathe is a work supporting androtating spindle 12 having at its forward end awork supporting center13. Surrounding the center is a work rotatin chuck 14 so that workmounted in the lat e 10 may be rotated. As the type of chuck is similarto that shown in my above mentioned patent, aspecific description of theoperatlve parts thereof will be unnecessary. Briefly, these comprise adriving member 15 preferably threaded to the forward end of the worksupporting and rotating spindle 12. This driving member is surrounded byanother part 16 driven 4' by the driving member 15 but so mounted tilltill

'plished by movin that it may rotate slightly relative thereto. On thissecond or'driven member 16 are flexibly mounted chuck jaws 17 which areadapted to engage and rotate work on said spindle 12. Normally, thesejaws 17 are held in driving contact with the work by spring means asclearly indicated in the above men-' tioned copending applications. V7hen it is desired to remove work from the lathe, which is preferablyaccomplished automatically, it is only necessary to momentarily restrain the driven member 16 from rotating with the driving member 15which thus varies the relative positions of these two members 15 and 16and forces the jaws out of engagement with the work. This feature of thechuck is clearly disclosed in the I above-mentioned patent.

lit is the novel means for obtaining this relative movement between thedriving and driven members 15 and 16, which is preferably accomplishedby frictional means, that forms the primary improvement covered by thepresent a plication; This relative movement of the driving and drivenmembers 15 and Y16 in the present construction is accomplished graduallyand without shock as the work spindle 12 and driving member 15 continueto rotate. Preferably a frictional resistance is resiliently applied toan extended part of the driven member 16 which retards rotation of thisdriven member and thus causes it to move relatively to the driving amember 15. Previously, and as shown in my above-mentioned patent, thiswas accoma rotatable sleeve into engagement with t e driving member 15in such a way that teeth on. this frictional sleeve engaged teeth on thedriven member 16 of the chuck it. This, however, had the disadvantagethat it subjected all parts of the chuck it to a sudden blow or impactas the teeth became suddenly enraged which was detrimental to the properfunctioningof the chuck. T have therefore, provided this improved meansrestraining the dr1von member 16 from rotating with the dlTfJlV 'ingmember 15 momentarily until the jaws are withdrawn, from the work bymeans which may be gradually applied to iflfltiilltlll .ally engage thedriven member 16 or the rotating chuck. As soon as the jaws l7 moved totheir outermost positions, the driven member 16 again rotates with driv=ing member 15. V

lit will be seen in Fine. '1 and 2 that sur rounding the tor-war end ofthe; worlr spindle 12 so that the s indle may rotate, a member 20 isprovided tastened to the for ward end of the headstock llnnd which atits upper end provided with o fixed stu' antenna 21. (in this stud orpin 21 are pivotally mounted oppositely disposed semrcircular brakebands or shoes 22 and 23 which su round a flange 24: forming anextension of the driven member 16 of the chuck it. These bands or shoes22 and 23, at their lower ends, are normally forced resiliently togetherby means of a bolt 25 provided with a coil spring 26 and adjusting nuts27 so force urgin these members 22 and together may doe regulated.Preferably, some friction material, such as fiber or strips 28 areinterposed between t' .e surface of the bands 22 and 23 and the member2% of the chuck.

lit will be seemtherefore, these abov mentioned means permit resilienten ment oil the brake bands 22 23 flange 24:. This position or": bralrebe .de is only used when it is desired to open jaws 17 of the chuck 14;to release com l worlr and engage a new blank. other times and durin thenormal operation of the lathe, the bra re bands 22 and 23 are held awayfrom the flange 24:.

In order to positively hold the brake bands 22 and 23 away from theflange 24; on the chuck, I provide extensions 30 and 31 res actively tothebands 22 and 23, their en s being provided with formed members 32and33' adapted to engage recesses 34 and 35 respectively formed in theforward end of an operating rod 36 for the chuck 14:. Also on theforward end of. the operating bar 36, ll provide two oblique slots toform the recesses 3t and 35 one slot on the upper face and the otherdirectly below the first on the lower face. The end walls of these tworecesses 34 and 35 slope in op osite directions as indicated in Figs. 4iand 5.

It will be seen from this construction that with the o crating bar 36 inone position, the projections 32 and 33 on the ends of the brake bands22 and 23 will out age the abut ments formed at the ends of the rese e"and 35 on. the bar 36 and positively I d the brake bands out ofengageme" clinch, but, during the time wh inn; bar 36 being moment itsopposite position the brelre be 23 will be permitted to friotionany theflange 24; or? the chuck.

will be seen also tram 7 struction by movement aotilinear direction,which may l plished by scam and lover Fig. 1, and as ully disclosed toidiiller above mentioned, the bre e imay be moved so as to either be difrom or moved into engagement periph of flange portion of tee oiPreferably, movement ot the bar or i in one direction is accomplishedthe cam it) and lever t1 and the mov the o oeite. direction.

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through the medium of a spring 42, which operates .rod 43 to which thechuck operating rod 36 is fastened by a clamp 44. In Fig. 2 the spring45 is shown applied directly to the rod 36.

Normally and while work is being operated on, the brake bands 22 and 23are positively held out of engagement with the chuck 14, but, when it isdesired to open the chuck 14, the operating bar 36 is forced by-the cammeans to the right, which permits the brake bands to move gradually intofrictional engagement with the flange 24 on the chuck and thus slightlyretard rotation of this member relative to its driving member 15 on thework spindle 12. This, as above described, serves to positively withdrawthe chuck jaws 17 from engagement with the work and hold them out ofengagement until the rod 36 is moved again to its initial position.

I and rotating with said spindle, a driven What I claim is: 1. A workcarrier for lathcs comprising in combination, a Work supporting androtating spindle, a driving member mounted on and rotating with saidspindle, a driven member associated with said driving member, jawssupported by said driven member, and means comprising a brake shoefrictionally engaging said driven member to automatically open said jawswhile said driving member continues to rotate.

2. A work carrier for lathes comprising in combination, a worksupporting and rotat-.

ing spindle, a driving member mountedon member associated with saiddrivin member, work engaging jaws supported y said driven member, andmeans comprising a brake shoe movable to frictionally engage said drivenmember to automatically open said jaws while said driving membercontinues to rotate.

3. A work carrier for lathescomprising in combination, awork supportingand rotating spindle, a driving member mounted on and rotating with saidspindle, a driven member associated with said driving member jawssupported by said driven'member, and means comprising a brake shoesurrounding andfrictionally engaging said driven member to relativelymove the driving and driven members to automatically open said jawswhile said driving member 6. A work carrier for lat-hes comprising incombination, a work supporting and r0- tating spindle, a driving membermounted on and rotating with said spindle, a driven member associatedwith said driving member, jaws supported by said driven member,

means normally holding said jaws in work engaging position, and meanscomprising a brake shoe surrounding said driven member and adapted to bemoved to frictionally engage said driven 'member to automaticallywithdraw said jaws from work engaging position while said driving membercontinues I to rotate. 1

7. A work carrier for lathes comprising in combination, a worksupporting and rotatring spindle, a driving member mounted on androtating with said s indle, a driven member associated with sand driving.member, jaws supported b said driven member, means normally holdlngsaid jaws in work engaging position, and means comprising a brake shoesurrounding said driven member and adapted to be moved to frictionallyengage said driven member to momentarily and automatically withdrawsaidjaws from! work engaging position while said driving member continues torotate.

8. A work carrier for lathes comprising in combination, a worksupporting and rotating spindle, a driving member mounted on androtating with said member associated with sai driving member, jawssupported by said driven member, means normally holding said jaws in.work' engaging position, means comprising a brake shoe surrounding saiddriven member and ada ted to be moved to frictional]. sai driven memberto automaticaly wit 'draw .said jaws from work engaging position whilesaid driving member continues indle, a driven to rotate, and means toreturn said jaws to work en shoe is re ease r 9. A work carrier forlathescomprising in combination, a driving member, a driven memberassociated with said drivin memposition when said brake her andrelatively movabletherewit jaws supported by said driving member andmoved into and out of work engaging posi- PAID tion by relative movementbetween said driven and driving members, means comprising a two-partbrake band surrounding and adapted to engage the driven member to rotatesaid driven member relati'veto the driving member whereby said jaws areautomatically withdrawn from operative position, means normally holdingsaid parts of the brake band resiliently together, and means topositively separate said parts.

1.0 Awork carrier for lathes comprising in combination, a drivingmember, a driven member associated with said driving member andrelatively movable therewith, jaws supported by said driving member andmoved into and out of work engaging position by relative movementbetween said driven and driving members, meanscomprising a twopart brakeband surrounding and adapted to engage the driven member to rotate saiddriven member relative to the driving member whereby said jawsareautomatically withdrawn from operative position, automatic meansnormally holding said parts I ofthe-brake band resiliently together, and

automatic means to positively separate said parts. a

11. A work carrier for automatic lathes comprising in combination, adriving member, a driven member associated with said ,driving member andrelatively movable therewith, jaws supported by said driven member andmovable into and out of work engaging position by relative 'movementbetween said driven and driving members, means comprising a brake bandsurrounding and engaging the driven 'member to relatively move saiddrivin and driven members, and means normally olding saidvband out ofcontact with said driven member, movement of said means in one directionpermitting frictional engagement of ,1 states therewith, jaws supportedby said driven member and movable into and out of work engaging positlonby relative movement between said dr1ven and driving members,

means comprising a brake band surrounding and engaging the driven memberto relatively move said-driving and driven members, and automaticallyopenatin means normally holding said band onto contact with said drivenmember, movement of said means in one direction permitting frictionalengagement of said band with said driven member to relatively rotatesaid driving and driven members to move said jaws out of work engagingposition.

13. A work carrier for automatic'lathes comprising in combination, adriving member, a driven member associated with said drivin member andrelatively movable therewith, jaws supported by said driven member andmovable into and out of work engaging position by relative movementbetween said driven and driving members, means comprising a twoart brakeband surrounding and adapt-e to enga e the driven member to relativelymove sai driving and driven members, and means normally separating saidparts to hold said band out of contact with said driven member, movementof said means permittin said parts to close together to frictional yengage said bandwith said driven member.

In testimony whereof I hereto 'afix my signature.

JQHN J. THACHER.

bill

